Biography

Blues legend Memphis Slim combined the barrelhouse/boogie-woogie piano style of the pre-war era with a post-war sophistication. A prolific songwriter, his best-known composition, "Every Day I Have The Blues," has become a standard, covered by Count Basie and B.B. King, amongst others. Slim began his career in 1934, but made his name after relocating to Chicago at the end of the decade. In 1940, became the regular accompanist to Big Bill Broonzy before forming his own group in '44, scoring an R&B number 1 with "Messin’ Around." A string of successful singles followed. After successful appearances at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival, Slim moved to Paris in '61, recording and touring Europe extensively until his death in 1988.

Top Tracks

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• (sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child)

• 44 Blues

• 5 O'clock Blues

• A Letter Home

• A Long Time Gone

• Ain't Nobody's Business

• Ain't Nothing But A Texas Boogie On A Harpsichord

• All By Myself

• Angel Child

• Baby Doll

• Baby Lee

• Backbone Boogie

• Ballin' The Jack

• Beale Street Jump (back Alley)

• Beer Drinking Woman

• Big Fine Girl

• Blue And Lonesome

• Blues At Midnight

• Boogie Chillen'

• Boogie Woogie 1-9-7-0

• Boom Boom

• Born In Memphis Tennessee

• Born With The Blues

• Cold Blooded Woman

• Cow Cow Blues

• Crawlin' King Snake

• Diggin' My Potatoes

• Diggin' My Potatoes No. 2

• Dimples

• Don't Ration My Love

• Don't Want My Rooster Crowin'

• Eagle Rock

• Every Day I Have The Blues

• Everyday I Have The Blues

• Feel Like Screaming And Crying

• Five Long Years

• Forty Years Or More

• Forty-four Blues

• Frankie And Johnny Boogie

• Freedom

• Going Down Slow

• Good Time Charlie

• Good Time Roll Creole

• Gotta Find My Baby

• Grinder Man Blues

• Harlem Bound

• Hobo Blues

• House Cleaning

• House Rent Boogie

• I Am The Blues

• I Don't Want My Rooster Crowin' After The Sun Goes Down

• I'll Just Keep On Singing The Blues

• It's Been Too Long

• Jasper's Gal

• John Henry

• Key To The Highway

• Kilroy Has Been Here

• Kilroy Was Here

• Lend Me Your Love

• Let The Good Times Roll Creole

• Living The Life I Love

• Lost My Boogie

• Maybe I'll Loan You A Dime

• Memphis Slim U.s.a.

• Memphis Slim, U.s.a.

• Messin' Around

• Midnight Special

• Miss Ida B.

• Mother Earth

• Mr Sykes Blues

• My Baby

• My Dog Is Mean

• New Key To The Highway

• No Rollin' Blues

• Nobody Loves Me

• Nobody Loves Me (everyday I Have The Blues)

• Nobody Loves Me [everyday I Have The Blues] [t1]

• Old Taylor

• People People

• Rainin' In My Heart

• Red Haired Boogie

• Reverend Bounce

• Rock Me Baby

• Rockin' The Blues

• Rockin' The House

• Rockin' The Pad

• Rocking The House

• Rollin' And Tumblin'

• Slim's Blues

• Slim's Boogie

• Smooth Sailin'

• Steppin' Out

• Strollin' Thru The Park

• The Come Back

• The Dirty Dozens

• The Girl I Met Last Night

• The Watergate Festival

• Tia Juana

• Tiajuana

• Tijuana

• Timsy's Whimsy

• Trouble Everywhere I Go

• Trouble In Mind

• True Love

• What Is The Mare Rack?

• When Buddy Comes To Town

• Whiskey Store Blues

• Whizzle Wham

• Wish Me Well

Discography

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• Steppin' Out - Live at Ronnie Scott's

  Essential Records

  1990

• I'll Just Keep on Singin' the Blues

  32 Jazz

  1981

• Memphis Heat

  Verve / Polygram

  1981

• Rockin' the Blues

  Charly Records

  1981

• Fattenin' Frogs for Snakes

  Melodisc

  1976

• Memphis Slim & Matthew Murphy

  Black & Blue

  1974

• At the Village Gate

  Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

  1974

• Soul Blues

  Ember

  1973

• Very Much Alive and in Montreux

  Universal International

  1973

• South Side Reunion

  Wounded Bird Records

  1972

• Bad Luck & Trouble

  1972

• Born With the Blues

  Jewel / Jewel

  1971

• Blue Memphis

  Wounded Bird Records

  1971

• Messin' Around with the Blues

  Blue Boar

  1970

• Mother Earth

  One Way Records

  1969

• The Real Folk Blues

  Chess

  1966

• Memphis Slim [King]

  King

  1964

• All Kinds of Blues

  Bluesville/Original Blues Classics

  1963

• No Strain

  1962

• Memphis Slim & Willie Dixon in Paris

  Original Blues Classics

  1962

• Just Blues

  1961

• Alone with My Friends

  Original Blues Classics / Battle/Original Blues Classics / Fantasy / Universal Division Jazz

  1961

• Broken Soul Blues

  Beat Goes On

  1961

• Memphis Slim [Chess/MCA]

  MCA/Chess

  1961

• Steady Rolling Blues

  Bluesville/Original Blues Classics

  1961

• Memphis Slim U.S.A.

  Candid

  1961

• At the Gate of the Horn

  VJ

  1959